


A Whole New World

by bethacaciakay



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen, If Aladdin Had a Better Storyline Regarding Character Relations, Inspired by Aladdin (1992)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-21 02:51:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10676154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethacaciakay/pseuds/bethacaciakay
Summary: Princess Emma of Misthavah longs for a story like the ones she's been told her whole life. One night, she makes a decision to make her story happen.





	A Whole New World

**Author's Note:**

> Kindly beta'd by @caroldanveirs on Tumblr. Thank you so much for your hard work in looking this over.

Chapter 1

Many years ago, in the land of Misthavah, the Crown Princess of the kingdom, Emma, sat on her balcony with her pet tiger, Henry. She knew it was silly as well as childish to wish upon a star for your dreams, but at the moment she didn’t care. She wished for a story of True Love as timeless as the ones that she knew of, including David Tisroc and his wife, Queen Snow as well as Robin Tarkaan and Tarkeena Regina. 

The tales of Misthavian Nights stated that her parents had met while Princess Snow was a bandit on the run from the Evil Queen, Regina, and David, who was a shepherd from the southern parts and had been taken to replace the son of a cruel Tarkaan during an armed robbery. Together, they worked together as unlikely allies for many years to defeat her, falling in love in the process. Before they could execute Regina, Snow insisted that she be banished instead, under the oath to never return or hurt anyone again. Regina later surprised everyone by staying true to her word and not make an overdramatic entrance to the kingdom. Over the years of her banishment, Regina had met a man named Robin Tarkaan of Locksley that she at first did not get along with, and the same went with him. Overtime, she bonded with his young son, Roland and eventually became dear friends with Robin. After winning a battle with the Queen of Hearts, Tarkeena Cora, the two discovered that they loved each other in a more intimate way and couldn’t loose one another. Several years after they married, they discover that they’re soulmates. When Snow and David had gotten word of Regina’s tale, Snow immediately sent an discreet invitation to the Locklseys to live in Misthavah. Emma had been a young child when she met them, and have considered them close family ever since.

Even though she grew up hearing stories such as these her entire life, Emma couldn’t help but wonder out loud if her story would be anything like the tales, if it would turn out differently than her failed attempts at finding love in the past. A voice from behind her stated,

“Well, you never know if you don’t go out there and do it yourself.”

Emma gasped and turned around and saw her father standing at the doorway of her balcony, smiling thoughtfully at her. Before Emma could say anything, her father continued,

“You weren’t always one to stay cooped up in a palace for the rest of your life. You are our daughter, for goodness sake. Adventure is in your blood, and I did not teach you to defend yourself for the fun of it. I truly believe that you’ll learn better outside of these walls. You’re twenty-five years old, and I know you’ve had your fair share of princes parading before you. So try living within the city for a while and if you meet someone that you have a good feeling about, let me know before your mother sends out another slew of suitors.”

“Well, wouldn’t Mama be busy with having another infant to notice my disappearance, anyway?”

“Yes, but Regina would notice, and we both know that your mother has an unintended tendency to parent our dear Tarkeena and would question her should she take note of your absence.”

“Point taken. I’ll pack and leave at dawn tomorrow. Henry will see me out. Will you do your best to hold everyone’s attention?”

“Anything to help you, my daughter,” the Tisroc replied before leaving her chambers. 

Emma proceeded to start packing her important belongings (such as her crown and coin pouch) as well as dressing in her plainest of outfits. She tells the guards that both she and Henry will be taking a stroll just as dawn sets, so they have no need for their company. The head guard, Grumpy, grunts in acknowledgement and continues on about his business protecting the palace. 

As dawn approached, Emma bade Henry farewell and took off beyond the gates and to the inmost parts of the city. The one thing that had surprised Emma the most was the stench on the streets. Yet on those streets she saw things she never imagined seeing all in one place. She saw various colored vendors that sold vast objects from carpets to jewelry to food to pottery. There were merchants and sellers and beggars bargaining with one another. When Emma sees two young children scourging the trash for anything that came close to resembling food, her heart dropped and she decided to do something about it. She knew that her parents’ ruling was imperfect, just like every ruling in the past, but this revelation shocked her greatly. So she swiped a loaf of bread and two apples from a nearby vendor draped in an emerald sheet. When Emma gives the food to the children, who run off to evade being captured, her body froze when she hears a cold voice stating,

“You’ll need to pay for that, Tarkeena.”

Emma turned around and faced a short straw-haired man standing arrogantly behind her. She proceeded to reach into her bag for her coin pouch when the seller chucked darkly, declaring as he reached out to grab her wrist,

“Oh, no. In this case, I won’t take payment in coins, Tarkeena. No, no, I’ll accept your payment by means of pleasure.”

At the mention of that and by the way he was trying to grab her, Emma yanked her hand away, balled it into a fist, and connected it to his face, near shouting, 

“Like hell I would with a creature such as yourself!”

And with that being said, she made a mad dash to the streets. The man bellowed out claims to have been robbed when two other men who looked similar to the seller and lead her towards his stall. When the wretch approached them with his scimitar in hand, he re-offered his deal to Emma, who refused again. The seller cried out an inhuman noise in anger as the thug on her left slammed her wrist on the table and the seller raised his scimitar only for it to be met with another that came out of nowhere. A voice from the right declared in a dark tone,

“Leave the lady alone.”

“Or what would you do, street rat?”

Emma turned and saw that the seller was addressing a very handsome, dark-haired man dressed in black with shining sky-blue eyes holding his scimitar against the salesman’s. The man appeared to be pondering a reply before he easily disarmed the salesman and knocking him out. The thug on Emma’s right released her to try and fight off the dark-haired man, only for him to get disarmed. Emma immediately grabbed a fragrance bottle from the next vendor and swung it at the back of the thug holding her back, knocking him out. She immediately grabbed the nearest vase and used it to knock the other thug that had the man pinned down with his own scimitar. 

After shoving the thug off of him, the man got up and re-sheathed his weapon and asked Emma,

“Are you alright, milady?”

“Yes, I am. Thanks to you.”

“I don’t mean to upset you, but I think we make quite the team.” 

Emma smiled as she watched the handsome man, thief to be exact, swipe two loaves of bread and oranges from the stand and place them in his satchel. The man looked at her and queried,

“Want to leave before that git wakes up and realizes what’s happened, love?”

Emma quickly glanced at the stirring seller before making a mistake by gazing into the young man’s vibrant blue eyes. How could they be eyes, though? Even the greatest of sapphires are plain compared to the ones she was staring at. As soon as she caught herself, Emma cleared her throat before nodding her affirmation to the thief, who smiled as though she had given him the world before grabbing her hand and leading her away from the marketplace and towards the docks.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think. Comments work best for me.


End file.
